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Are we really free as women in 2010? |
| Posted on May 18 2010 |
One of the saddest stories of modern day Britain, is the issue of body image, particularly amongst women. We are facing a national epidemic, which shows no signs of slowing down.
We see more images of exceptionally beautiful women in one day than our mothers did throughout their entire adolescence. These images are achievable by less than 5% of the population; if you include the face 1%.
These images are also making men more critical of us. Everywhere I go I hear men passing judgment on women’s bodies – too fat, big nose, no tits – it breaks my heart. Real women in the street don’t look like the ones on the billboards, in magazines, and the standards seem to be getting higher. If we don’t have legs up to our ears, size 34FF breasts, a long, glossy mane of hair like Cheryl’s, then we just don’t come up to scratch.
Is there any wonder more than 90% of women are unhappy with their bodies, and that about 60% would have surgery if it was free?
We don't all look like "page 3 stunners", but we are real and we are human. My boobs are modest, I have a “boyish” figure, and I’ve got short, mostly “bedhead” looking hair. I’m by no means beautiful, but neither am I ugly, so why do I feel under pressure to get hair extensions, a boob job, and never let another drop of fat pass my mouth in case I go above a size 8?
Most days, I can keep a level head, and know that it’s not real, that I must have some good features, that not all men are quite that shallow, and that some people will find me attractive. But on other days, the images, the cruel remarks from men (and fellow women in many cases), they get to me, and I feel inadequate. I know I probably speak for most of the nation here.
We are judged on our looks all the time as women. Increasingly, sexy images of beautiful women are used to sell everything from cars to toothpaste – this unachievable state of perfection is making the female population miserable. And who cares? As long as they are selling their product, the men are drooling, and the money is rolling in, they are laughing all the way to the bank.
It’s like we’ve gone back to the days of pre first-wave feminism, where men had the social and the psychic advantage. Our looks are up for scrutiny every moment of every day, a man’s success is defined by how attractive his wife is as much as what he has achieved, and we are under increasing pressure to have the perfect body, the perfect face, as well as do our share and more.
Are we really free, or are we more constrained than ever by the social norms that have developed surrounding the issue of physical attractiveness?
You only need to look around to see how much this has damaged us. The latest statistics show around one fifth of teenagers are affected by eating disorders, and a shocking 9 out of 10 “hate their bodies”. Unsurprisingly, the 90% figure is the same as in adult women – what is this telling us? We are passing down our own insecurities to our children? Probably, but when it’s 90%, this is something that needs to be addressed as a social problem
It's time to take a stand and support natural beauty, which is more than an external image, but a state of being that we all possess.
I’m interested in your ideas about how we can tackle this problem. And men, I’d like to hear from you about your views on women and how you can support this cause.
Please please please, let there be some of you out there that don’t need us to look like Barbie dolls to be attractive!
Last changed: May 18 2010 at 2:52 PM
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